Networked physical security access control system and method

Abstract

A distributed networked physical security access control system for controlling a plurality of security access devices includes access server appliances in communication with a primary network. At least one access server appliance includes an appliance management module accessible through a web browser in communication with the primary network. The appliance management module configures the access server appliances to a user specified security configuration. The access server appliances are in peer-to-peer communication on the primary network to bridge the access server appliances for providing consistency in each of the access server appliances.

I claim: 
     
       1. A networked physical security access control system for controlling a security access device comprising:
 a primary network including a user interface; 
 a plurality of access server appliances in communication with the primary network, the access server appliances being in peer-to-peer communication on the primary network to bridge the access server appliances for providing consistency in each of the access server appliances; 
 an access server appliance of the plurality of access server appliances comprising an appliance management module that configures the access server appliance to a specified security configuration; and 
 the specified security configuration is replicated using the primary network in additional ones of the plurality of access server appliances. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein each access server appliance includes a local credential directory for storing access control information and a local policy directory for storing security access policies. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein the local credential directory and the local policy directory are lightweight directory access protocol directories. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 2 , wherein each access server appliance includes a credential and policy module for synchronizing the local credential directory with local credential directories of others of the plurality of access server appliances 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4  wherein policies include login permission and group enrollment/de-enrollment, wherein the appliance management module configures the access server appliance to manage the credential and policy module. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein each access server appliance includes an information technology management module for configuring the access controller to control the security access device. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 5 , wherein each access server appliance includes a situation management module for configuring a third party physical security situation management system to control the access controller. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1  including an access controller in communication with one of the access server appliances. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein each access server appliance includes an information technology management module for monitoring the access server appliances and the system. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a backup server appliance that backs up each of the access server appliances, the backup server appliance being a mirror of each of the primary server appliances for providing redundancy. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a backup server appliance that backs up a subset of the access server appliances, the backup server appliance being a mirror of each of the access server appliances in the subset for providing redundancy.